Irvington Weekly Newsletter

Thank you to all of the volunteers who came out last Saturday on Community Cares Day! We had a great turn out, both kids and adults alike, who worked hard for 3 hours pulling weeds, edging, shoveling and spreading mulch, and raking leaves. Our grounds are looking much better, and we have you to thank!

The Back-to-School Kickoff is just two days away: this Sunday, August 27, from 1-4 pm! Head over to the school grounds for a good time, to reconnect with families and friends from last year, and to welcome new families to our school!

The details:

• Food: Free popcorn and popsicles! Bring your own water bottles, please!

• Activities: Foam party and facepaint! The Foam Party will run from 1:30-2:30. Learn more here, and consider bringing along a change of clothes.

• Stock up on Irvington Gear at the merchandise table!

• Stop by the "Get to Know You" table to get your grade-level color coded wristband, and by the PTA table to learn more about what we do and how you can help the school!

WE STILL NEED VOLUNTEERS! Thank you to everyone who has already signed up! There’s just a few more slots to fill, particularly on the clean up end. Please SIGN UP HERE!

We look forward to seeing all first through fifth graders on Tuesday, August 29. Please line up behind your teacher's name under the covered area behind the school by 8:40. (We are ringing the bell five minutes earlier this year!) We encourage families to send their children with water bottles, but you do not need to bring any school supplies. (Those are purchased by PTA-raised funds.)

School attendance is very important. Did you know missing 10% or more of the school year can make it harder to learn to read? Last year, 29%(!) of Irvington students were chronically absent. We are working to decrease that number this year and in the years to come by providing outreach, school-wide attendance awareness, and resources to students and families.

Students should attend school every day unless they are sick. Please plan vacations to coincide with school breaks.

If you have any questions about your child's attendance or if you need resources for your family to help support school attendance, don't hesitate to call the main office. Ms Blum, our school counselor, and I are happy to help!

Perhaps the most fun way to consistently (or periodically) get involved in everyday life at the school, the cafeteria staff needs two adult volunteers every day in order to make the lunch service possible. Here’s how it works:

• First, become a PPS approved volunteer here, which lasts for three years. Parents, caregivers, grandparents or other adults in your students’ lives are welcome to become approved volunteers.

• After approval, sign up for shift(s) here. The site is live and ready for you to sign up for August and September! You will receive a confirmation email after you sign up, and a reminder email the morning of your shift

• On your volunteer day, arrive at 10:50am to the front office, sign in (Karen or Eliza will help you if you have never done it before), head down to the cafeteria where Rie will show you your apron and gloves and what to do! You’ll help set out the food, serve the students, and get to visit with your student while they eat if you choose to! You even get free lunch! The shift ends between 12:15 and 12:30.

• Watch the weekly newsletter for alerts that future months are open to sign up.

Thank you past and future lunch volunteers for your help! Lunch service TRULY couldn’t happen without you.

August: Counselor Corner Monthly Update

Hello, Irvington families! These short updates will be sent out monthly this year to help connect what we are working on school-wide to conversations at home. Thank you for checking out the link and welcome back!

Mr Peter will be returning to Irvington this year as our school health assistant. For those of you who are new, Mr Peter worked at Irvington from 2017 to 2021. We are excited to welcome him back!

Thank you for displaying Irvington School yard signs through the summer! Please plan to return your sign Thursday, August 31, or Wednesday, September 6, at drop off or pick up either day. Look for a PTA rep by the cafeteria doors, and be sure to check your name off the list when you return your sign. If you’re not able to make it either of those days, please contact ptapres@irvingtonschool.com for other arrangements.

In order to provide a gentler transition into school, Portland Public Schools has created a "ramp up" schedule for our youngest learners. This is what the beginning of the school year will look like for our kindergarteners:

• Aug 29 or 30: Families will meet with their teacher one-on-one (less than an hour) at a time of their choosing
• Aug 31: Students with last names A-M will have their first unofficial day of school
• Sept 1: Students with last names N-Z will have their first unofficial day of school
• Sept 5: ALL kindergarten students come to school for their first official day

If you have a kindergartener, you can expect to hear from Ms Kara or Ms Lexi about your schedule when they return to work, August 23, or shortly thereafter.

A friendly reminder that our clothing closet is grateful for your donations of usable, clean clothing. Please consider donating:

• gently used comfortable pants and leggings, sizes kids 4-14
• new underwear, sizes kids small to teen large
• new socks, sizes 12-10

Donations can be placed at any time in the blue donation bin right inside the main entrance. Any usable donations that don’t work at Irvington will be donated to the Portland Public Schools main clothing closet.

Sunday, August 27: Back-to-School Kickoff, 1-4pm

Tuesday, August 29: First day of school for grades 1-5

Monday, September 4: NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, September 5: New family breakfast, 9am

Thursday, September 7: Ice cream social, 5:30-7:00pm

See it all at a glance here: https://www.irvingtonschool.com/